Ravi Shankar
Indian sitar virtuoso who globalized Indian classical music.
Pandit Ravi Shankar (7 April 1920 – 11 December 2012) was an Indian sitarist and composer. A sitar virtuoso, he became the world's best-known exponent of Indian classical music in the second half of the 20th century, and influenced many musicians in India and throughout the world. He was awarded India's highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna, in 1999, and is the father of American singer Norah Jones and British-American musician and sitar player Anoushka Shankar.
Born in Benares to a Bengali family, Shankar was the youngest of seven brothers. His father, a barrister and scholar who served as dewan of Jhalawar State, was largely absent during his childhood, and Shankar was raised by his mother. He attended school in Benares before joining the dance group of his older brother, Uday Shankar, at age ten. By thirteen he was a member of the troupe, touring Europe and the United States, learning dance and various Indian instruments, and absorbing Western classical music, jazz, and cinema. In 1934 he heard the musician Allauddin Khan perform, and Khan later became the group’s soloist on a European tour. After his parents died and touring became difficult due to impending war, Shankar abandoned dance in 1938 to study under Khan in Maihar under the traditional gurukul system. He learned sitar, surbahar, and other instruments, studying ragas and styles including dhrupad and khyal alongside Khan’s children, Ali Akbar Khan and Annapurna Devi. He made his public sitar debut in 1939 in a duet with Ali Akbar Khan. Completing his training in 1944, Shankar moved to Mumbai, composing for ballets and the Indian People's Theatre Association, and at twenty-five recomposed the music for “Sare Jahan Se Achcha.” He served as music director for All India Radio from 1949 to 1956, founding the Indian National Orchestra and blending Western and Indian instrumentation. He also composed for Satyajit Ray’s internationally acclaimed Apu Trilogy and several Hindi films. Beginning in 1956, he toured Europe and America, popularizing Indian classical music through performances, teaching, and collaborations with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison. His influence on Harrison helped introduce Indian instruments to Western pop music. Shankar wrote compositions for sitar and orchestra, toured globally through the 1970s and 1980s, and served as a nominated member of the
- born
- 7 April 1920, Benares (now Varanasi), India
- died
- 11 December 2012
- field
- Indian classical music, sitar, composition
- nationality
- Indian
- known_for
- World's best-known exponent of Indian classical music; influence on Western pop
Lore & Background
Shankar was born on 7 April 1920 in Benares (now Varanasi) to a Bengali Hindu family, the youngest of seven brothers. At age 10, he went to Paris with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar, and by 13 he had become a member, learning to dance and play various Indian instruments. At age 18, he gave up dancing to study the sitar for seven years under court musician Allauddin Khan in Maihar, living with Khan's family in the traditional gurukul system. He made his public debut on the sitar in December 1939, performing a jugalbandi (duet) with Ali Akbar Khan. After finishing his studies in 1944, Shankar moved to Mumbai and joined the Indian People's Theatre Association, composing music for ballets. He worked as a music director for All India Radio, New Delhi, from February 1949 until January 1956, and composed the music for the internationally acclaimed Apu Trilogy by Satyajit Ray. In 1956, Shankar resigned from AIR to tour the United Kingdom, Germany, and the United States, playing Indian classical music for smaller audiences and educating them about the music. He increased its popularity in the 1960s through teaching, performance, and his association with violinist Yehudi Menuhin and Beatles guitarist George Harrison. His influence on Harrison helped popularize the use of Indian instruments in Western pop music in the latter half of the 1960s. At the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival, Shankar performed a well-received set but said he was 'horrified' to see Jimi Hendrix set fire to his guitar on stage: 'That was too much for me. In our culture, we have such respect for musical instruments, they are like part of God.' His live album from Monterey peaked at number 43 on Billboard's pop LPs chart. In the late 1960s, Shankar distanced himself from the hippie movement and drug culture, stating: 'It makes me feel rather hurt when I see the association of drugs with our music. The music to us is religion.' He performed at the Concert for Bangladesh in August 1971, where after the crowd applauded the musicians tuning up, he responded, 'If you like our tuning so much, I hope you will enjoy the playing more.' The live album from the concert won him a second Grammy Award. From 1986 to 1992, he served as a nominated member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India. He continued to perform until the end of his life.
Reader's Guide
Ravi Shankar's significance lies in his role as the primary ambassador of Indian classical music to the Western world during the 20th century. Through his virtuosic sitar performances, teaching, and collaborations with figures like Yehudi Menuhin and George Harrison, he introduced ragas and Indian instruments to global audiences, influencing the sound of Western pop music in the 1960s. His work as a composer for Satyajit Ray's Apu Trilogy and the film Gandhi (for which he received an Academy Award nomination for Best Original Score) demonstrated his versatility. Shankar's legacy includes four Grammy Awards, including Album of the Year for The Concert for Bangladesh in 1973, the Polar Music Prize, and the Bharat Ratna (India's highest civilian honor). He also founded the Kinnara School of Music in Mumbai in 1962 and opened a Western branch in Los Angeles in May 1967, ensuring the tradition's transmission to future generations. His children Norah Jones and Anoushka Shankar continued his musical lineage.
Did You Know?
- Shankar shortened the Sanskrit version of his first name, Ravindra, to Ravi, meaning 'sun'.
- At age 10, Shankar went to Paris with the dance group of his brother Uday Shankar, and by 13 he had become a member, learning to dance and play various Indian instruments.
- Shankar made his public debut on the sitar in December 1939, performing a jugalbandi (duet) with Ali Akbar Khan.
- Shankar's live album from the 1967 Monterey Pop Festival peaked at number 43 on Billboard's pop LPs chart, the highest placing he achieved on that chart.
- Shankar served as a nominated member of Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Parliament of India, from 1986 to 1992.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Ravi Shankar?
Ravi Shankar (1920–2012) was an Indian sitar player and composer who became the most internationally recognized figure in Indian classical music during the latter half of the twentieth century.
What instrument is Ravi Shankar most associated with?
He was a master of the sitar, a long-necked plucked string instrument central to Hindustani classical music, and is widely regarded as one of the greatest sitar virtuosos in history.
How did Ravi Shankar influence Western pop music?
His close friendship and mentorship of The Beatles' George Harrison in the mid-1960s introduced the sitar and Indian melodic sensibilities to a massive Western rock audience, reshaping the sound of popular music.
What major Indian honor did Ravi Shankar receive?
The Indian government awarded him the Bharat Ratna, the nation's highest civilian distinction, in recognition of his extraordinary contributions to Indian classical music and culture.
Did Ravi Shankar compose music for films?
Yes, he provided the musical score for Satyajit Ray's celebrated Apu Trilogy, bringing Indian classical instrumentation to a landmark body of world cinema.
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